Walton swung around. His brother was leaning forward intently, eyes clamped tight shut. “Is it off?” Fred asked. “Tell me!”
Shrugging, Walton canceled the signal and the lights faded. “You can open your eyes, now. It’s off.”
Cautiously Fred opened his eyes. “None of your fancy tricks, Roy!”
“Trick?” Walton asked innocently. “What trick? Simple decoration, that’s all—and quite lovely, too. Just like the kaleidowhirls you’ve seen on video.”
Fred shook his head. “It’s not the same thing. How do I know it’s not some sort of hypnoscreen? How do I know what those lights can do?”
Walton realized his brother was unfamiliar with wall kaleidoscopes. “It’s perfectly harmless,” he said. “But if you don’t want it on, we can do without it.”
“Good. That’s the way I like it.”
Walton observed that Fred’s cool confidence seemed somewhat shaken. His brother had made a tactical error in insisting on holding their interview here, where Walton had so much the upper hand.
“May I ask again why you wanted to see me?” Walton said.
“There are those people,” Fred said slowly, “who oppose the entire principle of population equalization.”
“I’m aware of that. Some of them are members of this very club.”
“Exactly. Some of them are. The ones I mean are the gentry, those still lucky enough to cling to land and home. The squire with a hundred acres in the Matto Grosso; the wealthy landowner of Liberia; the gentleman who controls the rubber output of one of the lesser Indonesian islands. These people, Roy, are unhappy over equalization. They know that sooner or later you and your Bureau will find out about them and will equalize them… say, by installing a hundred Chinese on a private estate, or by using a private river for a nuclear turbine. You’ll have to admit that their dislike of equalization is understandable.”
“Everyone’s dislike of equalization is understandable,” Walton said. “I dislike it myself. You got your evidence of that two days ago. No one likes to give up special privileges.”
“You see my point, then. There are perhaps a hundred of these men in close contact with each other—”
“What!”
“Ah, yes,” Fred said. “A league. A conspiracy, it might almost be called. Very, very shady doings.”
“Yes.”
“I work for them,” Fred said.
Walton let that soak in. “You’re an employee of Popeek,” he said. “Are you inferring that you’re both an employee of Popeek and an employee of a group that seeks to undermine Popeek?”
Fred grinned proudly. “That’s the position on the nose. It calls for remarkable compartmentalization of mind. I think I manage nicely.”
Incredulously Walton said, “How long has this been going on?”
“Ever since I came to Popeek. This group is older than Popeek. They fought equalization all the way, and lost. Now they’re working from the bottom up and trying to wreck things before you catch wise and confiscate their estates, as you’re now legally entitled to do.”
“And now that you’ve warned me they exist,” Walton said, “you can be assured that that’s the first thing I’ll do. The second thing I’ll do will be to have the security men track down their names and find out if there was an actual conspiracy. If there was, it’s jail for them. And the third thing I’ll do is discharge you from Popeek.”
Fred shook his head. “You won’t do any of those things, Roy. You can’t.”
“Why?”
“I know something about you that wouldn’t look good if it came out in the open. Something that would get you bounced out of your high position in a flash.”
“Not fast enough to stop me from setting the wheels going. My successor would continue the job of rooting out your league of landed gentry.”
“I doubt that,” Fred said calmly. “I doubt it very much —because I’m going to be your successor.”
X
Crosscurrents of fear ran through Walton. He said, “What are you talking about?”
Fred folded his arms complacently. “I don’t think it comes as news to you that I broke into your office this morning while you were out. It was very simple: when I installed the lock, I built in a canceling circuit that would let me walk in whenever I pleased. And this morning I pleased. I was hoping to find something I could use as immediate leverage against you, but I hadn’t expected anything as explosive as the portfolio in the left-hand cabinet.”
“Where is it?”
Fred grinned sharply. “The contents of that portfolio are now in very safe keeping, Roy. Don’t bluster and don’t threaten, because it won’t work. I took precautions.”
“And—”
“And you know as well as I what would happen if that immortality serum got distributed to the good old man in the street,” Fred said. “For one thing, there’d be a glorious panic. That would solve your population problem for a while, with millions killed in the rush. But after that—where would you equalize, with every man and woman on Earth living forever, and producing immortal children?”
“We don’t know the long-range effects yet—”
“Don’t temporize. You damned well know it’d be the biggest upheaval the world has ever seen.” Fred paused. “My employers,” he said, “are in possession of the Lamarre formulas now.”
“And with great glee are busy making themselves immortals.”
“No. They don’t trust the stuff, and won’t use it until it’s been tried on two or three billion guinea pigs. Human ones.”
“They’re not planning to release the serum, are they?” Walton gasped.
“Not immediately,” Fred said. “In exchange for certain concessions on your part, they’re prepared to return Lamarre’s portfolio to you without making use of it.”
“Concessions? Such as what?”
“That you refrain from declaring their private lands open territory for equalization. That you resign your post as interim director. That you go before the General Assembly and recommend me as your successor.”
“You?”
“Who else is best fitted to serve the interests I represent?”
Walton leaned back, his face showing a mirth he scarcely felt. “Very neat, Fred. But full of holes. First thing, what assurance have I that your wealthy friends won’t keep a copy of the Lamarre formula and use it as a bludgeon in the future against anyone they don’t agree with?”
“None,” Fred admitted.
“Naturally. What’s more, suppose I refuse to give in and your employers release the serum to all and sundry. Who gets hurt? Not me; I live in a one-room box myself. But they’ll be filling the world with billions and billions of people. Their beloved estates will be overrun by the hungry multitudes, whether they like it or not. And no fence will keep out a million hungry people.”
“This is a risk they recognize,” Fred said.
Walton smiled triumphantly. “You mean they’re bluffing! They know they don’t dare release that serum, and they think they can get me out of the way and you, their puppet, into office by making menacing noises. All right. I’ll call their bluff.”
“You mean you refuse?”
“Yes,” Walton said. “I have no intention of resigning my interim directorship, and when the Assembly convenes I’m going to ask for the job on a permanent basis. They’ll give it to me.”
“And my evidence against you? The Prior baby?”
“Hearsay. Propaganda. I’ll laugh it right out of sight.”
“Try laughing off the serum, Roy. It won’t be so easy as all that.”
“I’ll manage,” Walton said tightly. He crossed the room and jabbed down on the communicator stud. The screen lit; the wizened face of the tiny servitor appeared.